I try hard not to be "oh woe is me" about things - at least not too often. But sometimes it just burns me up to see how easily others around me lose weight.

I have a friend who is doing the same eating plan as me but with more "extras" & cheats & a less intense workout schedule. In the time she has lost 45lbs I have lost 3!!!! I don't want to say I'm jealous of her loss (she has lost the same weight 3 times now & I intend to lose it only once!) but sometimes it angers me how much harder I have to work for it.

Thanks for letting me vent!

This reminds me of something I said to my DF the other day. When "normal folks" overeat or eat poorly, they gain weight.

Not me.

I not only gain weight (and have a helluva time losing it), but I get acne; severe cramps, extended bouts of PMS, extra hair on my face, intensified periods, sugar crashes and I overall feel like death And I, too, have those friends that can lose 5 pounds just by looking at the scale.

You are certainly not alone.

Yeah my mother is one of those people! She has always been a toothpick and can pretty much eat whatever she likes! Drives me insane!!!! lol

Yep, it does. I try very hard not to get upset when I see someone's success at losing weight in a normal way but it is very frustrating. Was your friend at the same starting weight as you when you started the plan or was she heavier? I hope that the scale is more friendly to you this month!

It bugs me too!
I have had to work my backside off (literally!) way more than most of my mates to lose the same amount of weight.
I agree, it's very unfair, but I guess that's life!

I think each of us has our own struggles and I just think I may have extra struggles than others and I have to deal with my own struggles and not worry about others.

Oh, AMEN, AMEN.

Envy is hard to bite down sometimes, but I feel a lot better when I remind myself that in almost every situation there is likely to be people who have it easier than me, and people who have it harder. Most of the time, when I think I'm on the bottom, I'm actually somewhere in the middle, and even when I'm on the bottom in one area, I've got the advantage in others.

For me, when I start getting annoyed at what others have, it tends to give me a reason to give up or think I can't reach my goals. At best it is a distraction I don't need. That doesn't mean the thoughts don't cross my mind A LOT, but sometimes reminding myself that I'm both special and nothing special really gets me more motivated.

I know how you feel Lifeguard. I've been at it for months and only lost 12 pounds. It's very frustrating to see people all around me dropping pounds like its easy peasy while I have to fight for every ounce it seems. Hang in there; we all love you!

Ugh, yes!! It's so hard to be happy and supportive of someone who is losing fast as we are all working our tails off for an ounce here and there.

Junebug, amen sister. If more people just understood that our worlds might be a little brighter.

My mom is the same way. Even now at 69 she still looks great! She has always had this nervous energy and can't sit down but I am just the opposite. Although I think if I wasn't so overweight I would probably want to move more.

I don't think it's envy. I think it's like Lifegaurd said, just having a "woe is me" moment. Like many situations, it's complicated and not just about gaining or losing. But sometimes your situation just gets you down. And then you move on. And sometimes that's motivating. Like with me, all the "side effects" sure do inspire me not to let my weight get out of hand, but sometimes it seems like an insurmountable task.

I just used the word envy because I think the word applied to me, not necessarily anyone else. For me, the "woe is me," feeling is closely tied to "it's not fair that I can't be like so and so," which sometimes leads to "I hate so and so for having it so easy."

I almost have to be like the racehorse with blinders on. If I start looking up at what the other "horses" are doing, I get distracted, stumble, fall and am left in the dust. So when the "lucky them" or "poor me" thoughts come, I have to kick them to the curb pretty fast, or I tend to wallow in them. I can usually talk myself out of those thoughts without anger, except when someone shoves it in my face, telling me how fast I "could" lose weight if I only did x, y, or z (often when I'm already doing most or all of what they are suggesting).

I actually cringe when I hear someone say "If I could do it, ANYONE can." That implies that they believe no one could possibly have had it more difficult than they did. My youngest sister, Mary said this after she lost the weight she gained with her first child. Barely 20, she had never been fat a day in her life, had never dieted before, and was very active and extremely fit. Of course, it was easy for her. Her metabolism was in prime condition. I'm not saying her accomplishments are insignificant, just that she is naive to believe that what worked for her is even possible for me (her workout would kill me - especially considering that our other sister Ann, who only needs to lose a few pounds, asked Mary to be her "personal trainer," and had to fire her after the first session because Ann couldn't keep up and couldn't stand Mary's drill sargeant tactics).

I admire Mary's success and tenacity, but we're two very different people. She believes there is only one path to fitness, and I sure hope she is wrong, because I definitely can't follow in her footsteps.